Interferometric Scattering Microscopy for the Study of Molecular Motors

Our understanding of molecular motor function has been greatly improved by the development of imaging modalities, which enable real-time observation of their motion at the single-molecule level. Here, we describe the use of a new method, interferometric scattering microscopy, for the investigation of motor protein dynamics by attaching and tracking the motion of metallic nanoparticle labels as small as 20nm diameter. Using myosin-5, kinesin-1, and dynein as examples, we describe the basic assays, labeling strategies, and principles of data analysis. Our approach is relevant not only for motor protein dynamics but also provides a general tool for single-particle tracking with high spatiotemporal precision, which overcomes the limitations of single-molecule fluorescence methods.

Direct observation of the coherent nuclear response after the absorption of a photon

How molecules convert light energy to perform a specific transformation is a fundamental question in photophysics. Ultrafast spectroscopy reveals the kinetics associated with electronic energy flow, but little is known about how absorbed photon energy drives nuclear motion. Here we used ultrabroadband transient absorption spectroscopy to monitor coherent vibrational energy flow after photoexcitation of the retinal chromophore. In the proton pump bacteriorhodopsin, we observed coherent activation of hydrogen-out-of-plane wagging and backbone torsional modes that were replaced by unreactive coordinates in the solution environment, concomitant with a deactivation of the reactive relaxation pathway.

Vibrationally coherent crossing and coupling of electronic states during internal conversion in β-carotene

Coupling of nuclear and electronic degrees of freedom mediates energy flow in molecules after optical excitation. The associated coherent dynamics in polyatomic systems, however, remain experimentally unexplored. Here, we combined transient absorption spectroscopy with electronic population control to reveal nuclear wave packet dynamics during the S2 → S1 internal conversion in β-carotene. We show that passage through a conical intersection is vibrationally coherent and thereby provides direct feedback on the role of different vibrational coordinates in the breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

Label-free, all-optical detection, imaging, and tracking of a single protein

Optical detection of individual proteins requires fluorescent labeling. Cavity and plasmonic methodologies enhance single molecule signatures in the absence of any labels but have struggled to demonstrate routine and quantitative single protein detection. Here, we used interferometric scattering microscopy not only to detect but also to image and nanometrically track the motion of single myosin 5a heavy meromyosin molecules without the use of labels or any nanoscopic amplification. Together with the simple experimental arrangement, an intrinsic independence from strong electronic transition dipoles and a detection limit of <60 kDa, our approach paves the way toward nonresonant, label-free sensing and imaging of nanoscopic objects down to the single protein level.

Efficient coupling of single photons to single plasmons

We demonstrate strong coupling of single photons emitted by individual molecules at cryogenic and ambient conditions to individual nanoparticles. We provide images obtained both in transmission and reflection, where an efficiency greater than 55% was achieved in converting incident narrow-band photons to plasmon-polaritons (plasmons) of a silver nanoparticle. Our work paves the way to spectroscopy and microscopy of nano-objects with sub-shot noise beams of light and to triggered generation of single plasmons and electrons in a well-controlled manner.

Imaging a single quantum dot when it is dark

We have succeeded in recording extinction images of individual cadmium selenide quantum dots at ambient condition. This is achieved by optimizing the interference between the light that is coherently scattered from the quantum dot and the reflection of the incident laser beam. The ability to interrogate the dot in the absence of fluorescence has revealed that its extinction cross section diminishes in the photobleached state, but interestingly, it remains unchanged during fluorescence blinking off times. Our methodology makes optical imaging and spectroscopy accessible to the study of ultrasmall nanoscopic objects such as nonfluorescent macromolecules and single emitters with very low quantum efficiencies.